Addressing and Overcoming Difficulties for Students with Color Vision Differences or Deficits (Color Blindness) in Educational Instruction and Assessment

Approximately 8% of males and 0.4% of females in the United States have color vision differences that result in inabilities to discern red or green based colors. Color Vision Difference or Deficit (CVD) is often an X‐linked genetic disorder related to absent or altered functioning of certain cones in the retina. Individuals with the most prevalent forms of CVD (deuteranomaly and protanomaly) have been classified as red‐green color blind and have difficulty distinguishing between colors of reds, greens, browns, oranges, and purples. Individuals with CVD are often challenged by commonly used teaching and testing materials that rely on descriptions and discriminations based on color. Examples of problems encountered by learners include: labeled structures in textbooks, PowerPoint © presentations, and exams wherein labels are made in colors that are indiscernible to students with CVD. Additional difficulties are often evident in histology curricula where tissue specimens are most frequently stained with Hematoxylin & Eosin. Eosinophilic structures (that stain red or pink) such as collagen, muscle, mitochondria, and blood cells are very difficult to distinguish or may seem almost imperceptible to students with CVD. Although there is a high prevalence of CVD in the United States, many educators are not aware of the challenges individuals with CVD encounter when color‐based teaching and testing materials are used. There are currently several computer‐based CVD simulator tools that allow educators and learners to upload images to simulate specific perceptual difficulties for individuals with CVD. These programs combined with extensive feedback and input from learners with CVD were used to identify problem areas in teaching and assessment of students with color vision differences. Methods were developed to help CVD individuals succeed in the histology and anatomy curricula, as well as in other academic disciplines. These inexpensive, simple, and easily applied methods include: ensuring the differentiation and descriptions of structures are not based solely on color; outlining specific tissue borders in colors with high contrast (not red or green); using textured backgrounds; and avoiding the use of red, green, or color‐coded labels. Additionally, procedures utilizing gray‐scale and modified‐color images have been employed in other curricula. These approaches have increased awareness of CVD among faculty and have fostered the development of strategies to ensure fairness, parity, and accessibility in histology, anatomy, and other programs. Support or Funding Information This work was supported by Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.